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Camp Fire USA
New Jersey Council Newsletter
December 2007
A HERO IN OUR MIDST
An Active Volunteer for 45 years! The New Jersey Council of Camp Fire USA is very proud to announce that on September 4, 2007, our board member, Marjory Bernhard, was awarded the national “Heroes in Our Midst” bronze medallion in recognition of her lifelong commitment as a volunteer to improve the lives of others less fortunate. The presentation of the award was made during the Senior Corps/R.S.V.P. Brunch for senior volunteers held at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton. At the award ceremony, Barbara Van Horn, Camp Fire Executive Director, spoke of Marj’s dedication to Camp Fire USA as well as her involvement with the United Way, the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of Mercer County (RSVP), and the New Jersey Board of Human Services for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Marj has made an avocation of being a volunteer since the age of six. She has devoted her adult life to help improve and enrich lives of under privileged children and senior citizens. Marj’s entire being is in harmony with Camp Fire USA’s core values. The New Jersey Council met Marge through the United Way and Marj immediately embraced the work of Camp Fire’s self-reliance programs. As an advocate for children and a member of the New Jersey State Board of Human Services for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Marj was instrumental in promoting the Camp Fire Child Awareness Training program. She not only championed and advocated for Camp Fire, in 1988, she joined the Board of Directors and in the intervening years has served as secretary, vice president, president and chair of many fund raising events. From the time her children could walk they and their friends were learning to give service. Her son Michael’s friends learned to ask, “Where are going with your Mom today?” It was always a place where they would be giving of their time and talents to serve others and in return the children got a chance to know the joy received by the gift of giving. In her speech about Marj, Barbara noted Marj’s extraordinary ability to come up with whatever is needed: blankets and tents for earthquake victims in Pakistan, educational programs for the prevention of abuse, an escort for a senior group outing, a clown for a fundraiser, food for a hungry family. Most notably, Marj and her husband, Harry, adopted eight Indonesian children whose parents had gone back to Indonesia and who had been trying to support and to care for themselves. |
The Heroes in our Midst program is a partnership with the American Greeting Card Association and a number of national nonprofit (or as we prefer to be called, “for impact”) organizations. Big Brothers Big Sisters and Camp Fire USA were the first two agencies designated as partners in the “Heroes in Our Midst” project. A different local chapter nominates a volunteer each month for a year. The program is only a year old. The purpose of the program is to acknowledge America’s every day heroes who exemplify the importance of giving of themselves to the community. Marj, who was nominated by the New Jersey Council, was chosen as the Camp Fire USA volunteer for September 2007. Other Camp Fire Heroes have been from Texas, Ohio and Illinois. Marj is the 24 th hero to be recognized by the “Heroes” program which is donating $1000.00 to the New Jersey Council in recognition of Marge’s long service to our agency. In recognition of Marj’s exceptional volunteer work, the New Jersey Council asks the friends of Camp Fire to show their support of Marj by sending her a thank you card or note: Marjory Bernhard, Camp Fire USA New Jersey Council, 535 East Franklin Street, Trenton, NJ 08610
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